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FOODS SPRAYED WITH PESTICIDES: eat as close to only organic as possible

I previously did a post on why buying organic is important and some foods to concentrate on buying organic, aka The Dirty Dozen, and also a list of the foods that are on the Clean List that you don’t need to worry about buying organic. Check it out here!

Here is a chart to summarize the differences between farmed and wild fish:

Cold cuts and processed meats are full of chemicals and preservatives that are carcinogenic. “Studies have showed an increased risk of colorectal cancer among regular eaters of processed meats, like hot dogs, bacon and pepperoni. Consumption of processed meats has also been linked to increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.”

Nearly everyone knows that white flour is not healthy for you, but most people don’t know that when white flour is bleached, it can actually be FAR worse for you.

It’s generally understood that refining food destroys nutrients. With the most nutritious part of the grain removed, white flour essentially becomes a form of sugar. Consider what gets lost in the refining process:

Half of the beneficial unsaturated fatty acids

Virtually all of the vitamin E

Fifty percent of the calcium

Seventy percent of the phosphorus

Eighty percent of the iron

Ninety eight percent of the magnesium

Fifty to 80 percent of the B vitamins

And many more nutrients are destroyed — simply too many to list.

Whole Grain Flour vs. White Enriched Flour

Whole grain foods are higher in fiber because the wheat germ and bran have not been processed out of them.

Whole grain foods are digested more slowly, leaving you feeling fuller for a longer.

Whole grain foods have more nutrients than “enriched” foods.

Whole grains are not processed as a starch, so they don’t throw your body into a sugar dependency cycle.

Experiment with a 10 day, no enriched white flour challenge, you might be surprised at how easy it is.

Spreads. Margarine, for example, contains both trans fats and saturated fats, both of which can lead to heart disease. Other non-butter spreads and shortening also contain large amounts of trans fat and saturated fat.

Packaged Foods. Favorites such as cake mixes and Bisquick generally have several grams of trans fat per serving.

Soups. For example, Ramen noodles and soup cups contain very high levels of trans fat.

Fast Food. Those beloved French fries and other crunchy foods are deep-fried in partially hydrogenated oil.

Frozen Food. From frozen pies to pot pies to breaded fish sticks, frozen foods generally contain trans fat. Even if the label says the product is low-fat, it can contain trans fat.

Baked Goods. Commercially baked products contain more trans fats than any other foods. Examples include doughnuts, cookies and cakes.

Instead you can use coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil or sesame oil.

ROASTED NUTS AND SEEDS

Raw nuts and seeds are excellent sources of health-supporting unsaturated fatty acids. The downside to these beneficial fats is that once exposed to high temperatures, they can easily oxidize. Roasting these types of food is tricky. They don’t only reduce the nutritional advantage; they can also add harmful components – trans fatty acids.

One study showed how roasting added the presence of trans fats in sesame seeds, peanuts and various other kinds. There was none in the previously raw and untreated food. Trans fatty acids are known to increase chances of heart disease.

On Day 1 of this Essential Cleanse I started a couple weeks ago they shared a list of 12 things you want to avoid in your diet. Over the next 12 days I thought it would be fun to do a post each day and focus on one of the items. I encourage you to slowly try and work your way to eliminating each one out of your diet. Ready?

Day 1- Refined Sugar

These include-

white and brown sugars

high fructose corn syrup

evaporated cane juice

artificial sweeteners

sodas

5 Reasons to Avoid Sugar

1. Sugar makes us hungry.

Sugar lurks not just in soda, candy or cakes; it’s also in alcoholic beverages, sweetened teas and coffees. Because refined flours quickly convert to sugar, they create a similar reaction. When we eat these things, our blood sugar rises. This signals the pancreas to release insulin, which is needed to deliver glucose from the blood into the cells, and therefore lowers blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels drop, this signals the body that it is hungry, so we tend to reach for that quick fix again.

2. Sugar makes us moody and sluggish.

When the blood sugar gets low, so does our energy and mood; some people might even get shaky and lightheaded. Naturally, we’ll want to reach for something that will boost our energy and make us “happy” and energized again, which puts us on a “sugar roller coaster.”

3. Excess sugar is stored as fat.

When insulin is released, it signals the body to store excess calories as fat — so sugar promotes the storage of fat in the body. Eating a lot of sugar and carbs over time makes the body resistant to insulin, so more of it has to be released to get the job done. And when there’s more insulin, there will be more signals to store the glucose as fat. Increased fat stores (especially around the midsection) is a major contributing factor to developing heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.

4. Sugar Ages us.

Sugar creates something called advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which damages the collagen and elastin in our skin, thereby sagging it and making it look more wrinkled. Ditch the sweets and the skin can recover some of its youthful glow again.

5. Sugar impacts our immune system.

When we eat something sweet, the pancreas releases insulin to reduce the elevated blood sugar and deliver it to the cells. Insulin inhibits the release of human growth hormone, which depresses the immune, making us less equipped to fight off infections and viruses. Sugar also raises our risk of many diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

It’s that time of year, spring cleaning for the body! I have been searching for a cleanse to do and I have found the one I am going to do this year. The cleanse is a 21 day guided cleanse and it will help you:

Reduce or eliminate sugar cravings, food allergies and addictions (You can do it!)

Stay focused with a clear action plan and daily video recipes that are totally doable

My cousin requested I do a blog post on the good and bad of sunscreen and the next day I got an article in my email about just that. Kris Carr goes over the pros and cons of the sun and what to avoid when buying a sunscreen. She even included a list of some safe and natural sunscreens that you can buy.

I recently jumped on the working out bandwagon and the first mistake I made was to go to the 7am bootcamp class and then come home and NOT EAT! It wiped me right out. So today I didn’t make that mistake again and my husband was kind enough to make me a bowl of oatmeal and then I followed it with nice bowl of mango chia pudding to help replenish my body. I love chia. Especially when they have been soaking in almond milk, so yummy. Chia Mango Pudding

1 cup almond milk

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 ripe mango

1/2 tsp maple syrup or honey (optional)

Just mix up all the ingredients and let it sit for at least 2 hours. Enjoy. You could also use coconut milk instead or add in some shredded coconut for added flavour and texture.

Nutrient Density measures the benefits you get from a food compared to the number of calories it contains. Nutrient dense foods give you the most nutrients possible for the fewest calories. One way to measure nutrient density is the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale. Dr. Joel Fuhrman developed this scale and the nutrients included in the scale are calcium, carotenoids, lycopene, fiber, glucosinolates, iron, magnesium, niacin, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin C and E, and zinc. It also measures ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) which is a method of measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods. One thing to keep in mind is that the ANDI scale does not measure protein or fats, so remember that when you are formulating your diet and be sure to add in your beans and avocados!

Nutrient Density Score Chart was last modified: June 4th, 2013 by Estelle

This is my new favorite dish. It is a recipe from Whole Living and I just changed it slightly and it was delicious! And once again sorry my pictures are so lame, my SLR camera is a little under the weather thanks to my wonderful children.